How do you motivate your staff to produce optimal performance?

While the particular method(s) you use to motivate employees may be of some interest to the interviewer, the point of this question is to determine if you’ve been successful with getting your staff to achieve the goals set for them.

Be ready to share an example of a recent project that required you to light the fire of motivation to get the job done.

For example:

During this last year in my current position, the company was experiencing a problem with absenteeism and a large project was behind schedule.

I decided that rather than blindly attempting to throw solutions out there, I should first find out what the problem really was: I asked the employees why it seemed morale was low and folks were taking off more time than usual.

I found out that a lot of the workers felt disconnected from the company.

We had grown quite a bit in a short time and the core group that had been with us from the beginning had enjoyed a true family atmosphere during the early years.

How to Motivate Your Staff

That same group was now feeling a lack of purpose in their work because with that growth came a lack of interaction between higher management and the workers.

They now saw us as a giant bureaucratic company and often didn’t know how their efforts contributed to the company’s success.

After that, I established a monthly meeting in which any employee who wanted to could share his feedback with the company’s higher-ups. I was careful not to let this turn into a gripe session. These meetings have actually generated several morale-boosting ideas which have been implemented.  We also brought back some of the company’s social events during which everyone had the opportunity to interact in a relaxed setting.

I believe most of the employees now feel more a part of things and I am happy to say absenteeism is at an all-time low.  We are back on track and have met all of our goals for this quarter.

Be Prepared For Follow-Up Questions Too

After sharing your example, be prepared for follow-up questions.

One possible question could involve the interviewer presenting you with an employee motivation scenario and asking how you would handle it.  Your response will help the interviewer determine if you can adapt your approach to new circumstances.

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